Riley and Mallory Top Dogs – Wood, Dinning, May and Rauscher
also visit Victory Lane in Archer Truck Centres Night

Alex Riley of Thorold and Jay Mallory
of St. Catharines were among the Top Dogs Saturday June 10th
at Merrittville Speedway. Riley’s Niagara IceDogs ‘Bones Mobile’
4 Cylinder and Mallory’s #20 Sportsman – named the ‘Mongrel’
both visited Victory Lane in a night that featured the annual
Vansickle Pet Valu & Groomindale’s Best Dog Contest.

Archer Truck Services Night also saw
Scott Wood of Thorold take home his first Pinty’s 358 Modified
Main Event. Other first time winners included Ryan Dinning of
Caledonia and former champion Jeff May of Mount Hope in the
Hoosier Stock and Wood Motor Company Modified Lite Divisions.

The Bobcat of Hamilton Weekly Racing
Series Event would also have Thorold’s Greg Rauscher winning his
third Novice Sportsman Feature of 2017.

“”I could drive it in hard and it
would hold the bottom lne,” said Alex Riley after winning the
second round of the Tomaski Racing Triple Crown Series for the
Central Fabricating 4 Cylinders, “the car was awesome … without
that last caution I don’t think I would’ve caught Tony (Kelly)
though.”

Kelly, of Niagara Falls who won the
Triple Crown Series Opener in a rain shortened Night May 13th
had opened up more than a ¼ lap lead on the field until a lap 15
caution slowed his pace.

At the drop of the green flag in the
20 lap event it was Kelly who beat fellow front row starter Cole
Hardy to top spot. Kelly quickly distanced himself from some
thrilling action behind him.

By lap 8 – Jay Moulton, Hardy, Riley
and Leroy Buscumb were battling three and four wide for
position. Kyle Rothwell’s 2017 misfortunes would continue as the
defending Tomaski Racing Triple Crown Champion’s race would end
on lap 9.

By lap 10, Moulton took sole
possession of second until Hardy would unfortunately drop from 4th
spot after losing control of his car in Turn 2 to slow the event
for the only time on lap 15.

Kelly would resume control on the
restart with Moulton running side by side with the leader.
Behind them the second row had it’s own battle between Olivier
Larocque and Riley. Lap 16, they were three wide for top spot
with Riley pulling alongside Kelly.

Exiting Turn 4 to start lap 19, Riley
would make his move landing in top spot. At the finish, Riley
was followed by Kelly, Moulton, Larocque and Billy Sauder.

The 2017 Tomaski Racing Triple Crown
Series concludes Saturday July 29th when Kelly will
take a 4 point lead on Riley into the W Abrasives Night.

“I’ve been working with my shocks … I
made a lot of changes last week and some more this week,” said
Jay Mallory after winning his first Sportsman Feature of the
season, “I just had to be careful in lap traffic … hit my marks
and not get caught up in anything.”

For the second generation driver that
could not have been truer as Mallory would take over top spot
from early leader Tom Richau on lap 9.

Richau and fellow front row starter
Robbie Johnstone – both second year drivers would not see some
incredible action behind them involving a number of veteran
drivers. By lap 7 Mallory was in the runner up spot before
taking the lead on lap 9.

Out front, Mallory had quite a battle
for a top 5 spot develop with Richau, James Friesen, Brent
Begolo, Rob Knapp, Dave Flannigan Jr. and Brad Rouse all bunched
up.

About 10 laps later, Mallory would
come up on slower cars about a ¼ lap lead on James Friesen.

Friesen who won his first Feature May
27th would use lap traffic to his advantage to close
in on Mallory and going side by side with the leader. Mallory
who last won about a year ago was able to hold off the challenge
with Friesen settling for second.

Begolo, Rouse and Flannigan would
close out the top 5.

“I tried some stuff that used to
work,” said Scott Wood in Victory Lane for the first time in
some two years after taking full advantage of Wednesday Night’s
practice, “I’m hoping the changes will continue to work. It’s
been a whole team effort getting here … thanks to my crew … my
sponsors and my family!”

With Todd Gordon first to lead the 35
lap Feature – the race for second went three wide quickly
between Fred Carleton, Pete Bicknell and Wood. Almost as quick
was the first caution on lap two.

Gordon would set the pace on the
restart until Wood took control on lap 3.

By lap 10, Wood, Carleton and Ryan
Susice were the top 3 – about 10 car lengths ahead of the field.
Carleton was looking to score a win in his Niagara IceDogs #96
as Riley had done earlier but he would fall off the pace on lap
15.

Wood would resume control on the
restart with his 38 joined by Ryan Susice’s 38. By lap 20, Wood
had opened up an advantage of about a quarter lap on Susice and
Chad Brachmann,

Making the most of track time in
Wednesday’s practice also may have been Spring Sizzler Winner
Tim Jones. A late race charge found the Port Robinson Driver in
second spot on lap 24.

With Wood comfortably out front –
could Jones make up the difference?

At the finish, Jones could only get to
within a couple car lengths with Brachmann third. Susice and
Larry Lampman Jr. rounded out the top 5.

“It’s my first win here …
but my second of the weekend,” said Caledonia’s Ryan Dinning, 24
hours after breaking Dave Bailey’s unbeaten streak Friday Nights
at Ohsweken and backing it up Saturday Night, “I’m going to try
for the sweep Sunday Night.”

Bailey, who had won the first 5
features of the season came out on top of a three wide battle
for the lead over Billy Bleich Jr. and Dinning shortly after a
lap 5 restart.

Bleich barely survived an early
incident that left Rob Murray on top of polesitter Derek Van Mil
in Turn 4. Bleich’s passenger door was caved in but wasn’t
slowed by the incident and Murray was able to rejoin the field.

Jim Lampman was the new leader on the
restart until Bleich took control on lap 3 until Bailey was the
new leader.

Just past the halfway point Dinning
took control of top spot with Murray racing back to third spot.
Dinning had opened up a 5 car length advantage by lap 15 as
Murray took over the runner up spot.

With 4 laps to go, Dinning was into
lap traffic which may have played to his favor as the top 5 was
shuffled in the closing laps.

Dave Small, Bailey, Bleich and Lampman
would finish out the top 5.

“We really seem to struggle here at
our home track,” said 2014 Champion Jeff May after his first Mod
Lite Win of the season, “we’ve been struggling … but tonight the
race came to us.”

For many of the Wood Motor Company
Modified Lites – the night was a struggle as the 14 car starting
field was down to 6 cars by lap 4.

After an incident delayed the initial
start, Steven Beckett set the pace until two separate incidents
saw Beckett and three time 2017 winner Brent Begolo come
together as well as Rob Misener and Paul Klager.

Tyler Winger was the new leader on the
restart until May took over top spot.

The race was red flagged on lap 4
after contact between Craig Martin and Randy Giroux sent Giroux
into the front stretch wall just past the start finish line.

With May and RJ Pietz comfortably out
front in first and second – the race to watch was for third
between Chris Watson and Winger.

With 5 laps to go, May had opened up a
¼ lap lead on Watson until one final caution.

May would set the pace to the finish
with Winger overtaking Watson. Pietz and Tucker Wood would round
out the top 5.

After an early caution, initial Novice
Sportsman Feature leader Greg Rauscher would resume control of
the 10 lap Event.

With two laps to go, Brian Schmidt in
the Charlie Lynch #19 would close in on the leader – coming to
within a car length of top spot at the finish. Rauscher and
Schmidt were followed by Brandon Gruhl and Scot Sonnenberg.

Merrittville Speedway would like to thank all the fans that
brought their dogs to the races and to Vansickle Pet Valu and
Groomingdale’s for all they do for the sport.

UPCOMING at Merrittville Speedway

Celebrate
Father’s Day Weekend with an event not to be missed Saturday
June 17th as Ontario Truck Driving School presents
Double Feature Night for the 358 Modifieds and Sportsman
Divisions.

The
Bobcat of Hamilton Weekly Racing Series Event will also feature
regular events for the Hoosier Stocks, Wood Motor Company
Modified Lites and the Central Fabricating & Welding 4
Cylinders.

Race Fans
are encouraged to wear their Retro Race T Shirts – whether it’s
a Driver, Race Track or Special Event T Shirt from back in the
day.

The Great
Clips Grandstand Ticket Office opens at 5:30 and Show Time is 7
PM.

MERRITTVILLE SPEEDWAY SPONSORS The 2017 66thAnniversary Bobcat of Hamilton Weekly Racing Series for
Merrittville Speedway’s 5 Divisions was brought to race fans and
racers by division sponsors – Pinty’s Delicious Foods, S&W
Service Centre, Hoosier Tire Canada, Wood Motor Company and
Central Fabricating in addition to many marketing partners Visit
them athttp://www.merrittvillespeedway.com/sponsors.htmand visit them when you require their
products and/or services.

Celebrating 15 years of serving the Hamilton, Halton and Niagara
Regions, Bobcat of Hamilton is a leading provider of compact
equipment for a wide variety of markets – striving to empower
customers to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively.